Removable connection assembly

A connection assembly for removably coupling a flexible hose with a piece of equipment, said assembly comprising:

• a female coupling member comprising relatively rigid material, and having a receiving portion formed towards one end thereof, with the other end thereof being adapted for operative association with a piece of equipment;
• a male coupling member comprising relatively flexible material, and having a corrugated hose portion for reinforced flexure thereof and a generally cylindrical extension portion integral therewith, said extension portion having an outside diameter less than the inside diameter of said receiving portion of said female member to permit coupling receipt thereof within said female member;
• a pair of projection integrally defined on diametrically opposed sides of the outside diameter of said male member extension portion;
• a pair of longitudinal slots integrally defined in diametrically opposed sides of the inside diameter of said female member receiving portion, said slots having sidewalls defining respective open ends of said slots adapted for sliding receipt of said pair of projections, and further defining respective closed terminal ends of said slots for providing predetermined stops for longitudinal sliding movement of said projections respectively in said slots;
• and
• a pair of projection-receiving holes defined in diametrically opposed positions radially through the circumferential wall of said female member, and formed circumferentially displaced from and contiguous with the respective terminal ends of said slots;
• wherein
• said male member may be positively but removably secured within said female member by longitudinally inserting said male member therein with said integral projections thereof guided in said slots until said projections engage said slot terminal ends, and then relatively rotating said male and female members so that said projections are further guided into and engage said holes whereby said members are radially and axially locked together;
• said projections have substantially rigid sidewalls so that said flexible male member is radially compressed inward whenever said projections are guided in said slots, thereby providing outward biasing on said projections so as to snap same outward upon engagement thereof with said projection-receiving holes;
• and further wherein
• sidewalls for each of said slots define respective openings therein contiguous with a respective sidewall in part defining each of said adjacent holes, such structure facilitating initial passage of said projections from said slots into said holes and forming camming means for disengaging said projections and said holes upon selected rotation of said male member relative said female member, whereby said projections are forced against said respective sidewalls defining said holes so that said male coupling member radially compressed inward to permit said projections to exit said holes and re-enter their respective slots, which facilitates subsequent longitudinal separation of said female and male members.

Apparatus for removably connecting a flexible hose in relatively air-tight and substantially fixed rotational and longitudinal relationship with a tubular inlet plug for a suction source, said apparatus comprising:

• a relatively thick-walled rigid inlet plug adapted for direct but removable air-tight operative connection with a suction source, and having receiving mouth directed substantially away from such suction source whenever said plug is connected with same;
• two diametrically opposed openings radially defined through the circumferential wall of said inlet plug;
• two diametrically opposed shallow channels longitudinally formed within said inlet plug, each channel being defined by parallel sidewalls which are open adjacent said inlet plug mouth, and which sidewalls are closed at other ends thereof terminating adjacent said openings and circumferentially displaced therefrom, with one of each respective pair of said sidewalls being contiguous with its respective opening and defining a passage through such one sidewall so as to permit an element to be guided longitudinally through the length of such channel and then transversely into its respective opening;
• a relatively thin-walled flexible hose having a generally accordion-like construction for reinforced flexibility and having a cylindrical extension portion integral therewith, the diameter of such cylindrical portion being adapted for telescopic receipt of same within said inlet plug mouth;
• and
• a pair of diametrically opposed radially-outward projections formed on said flexible hose cylindrical extension portion, said projections being adapted for respective receipt within inlet plug channels with said hose extension portion inwardly compressed, said projections thereby being forced outward, under biasing resulting from such compression, into relatively fixed rotational and longitudinal engagement with said openings whenever said projections are transversely guided into said openings from longitudinal receipt in their respective channels adjacent the closed ends thereof;
• wherein
• said one sidewall for each channel defining said passage thereof each comprise respective camming surfaces for facilitating removal of projections from their respective inlet plug openings, wherein selected transverse movement of said projections relative the longitudinal axis of its respective channel causes engagement of such projection with its respective camming surface, which results in said hose extension portion being inwardly compressed to permit each projection to be transversely guided through its respective passage into its respective channel, for subsequent longitudinal withdrawal of said flexible hose cylindrical extension portion from said inlet plug.